International Water Bird Count: Nyumba ya Mungu and TPC

Hard at work!

This past weekend Wetlands International organized a waterbird count all over the world. The idea is to get a snapshot of the waterbird population worldwide at the same time each year. Last year they had 143 countries participate and this year in Tanzania we had 18 teams from all around the country that agreed to do counts at various sites. There is an "authority" on birds in Tanzania and he coordinated all the possible birders in the area and somehow Ana and I became the organizers of our area and decided to do Nyumba ya Mungu and TPC.

Our team consisted of a Mauritian who had been here for 16 years, a British woman who had lived her whole life in Tanzania, and then the British woman's 14 year old niece and Tanzanian mountain guide from her hotel. We had met the British woman before but the others we only met the week before during a planning meeting. It was kind of funny because Ana was the only one of us that was knowledgeable enough to do an accurate count of all the birds so as a result she did a lot of the heavy lifting.

We didn't want it to be this super serious event and since only Ana and I had done counting before, we knew it was going to be difficult for the others. The first day at Nyumba ya Mungu was a bit tough because we saw a lot of birds (over 1,500 from 40+ species) which required concentration and a systematic approach. We felt bad because the others were possibly a bit tired and they were certainly hot. Still, the day was quite successful and we saw some cool birds as well as enjoyed each others company.

The next day we went to TPC and it was much more relaxed. Ana spent a lot of time with the others teaching them the small differences between 'waders' and quizzing them as we moved along. We were also thrilled to discover some new spots at TPC. There are a few reservoirs that are scattered along the property and if they are low they are full of birds. It was a busy morning but we were happy to finish by lunch and beat the heat. It was also a pretty exhausting two days with our eyeballs needing a good rest!

These guys needed to borrow a jack...I was MORE than happy to lend it!

One of the funnier things that happened was one our way back from Nyumba ya Mungu. We passed a dala dala that had driven off the road and was obviously in rough shape. We stopped to ask if they needed help and they asked to borrow our jack. Considering that I had recently been the recipient of this kindness, I was more than happy to help!

Booted Eagle. 

Black-tailed Godwit